The Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing (VAGP) is a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of procurement practitioners, established in 1958 to improve and assist public purchasers through legislative advocacy, research, education and other services. The membership includes employees in Virginia state, city, local governments, educational institutions, and special authorities.

President's Message

Kelly Okken, CPPB VCO VCCO

Well, with 2012 upon us, many of us have probably made some New Year's resolutions. Some resolutions include weight loss, more exercise, and more time with family, etc. Those are great resolutions but many begin to fade into the sunset after a few weeks. I am guilty of not keeping many of those same resolutions. This year I am going to keep my resolutions more manageable by taking smaller steps and by trying not to conquer the world in one year.

Steps to Keeping New Year's Resolutions

Step 1: The first step in keeping your resolution is to make your resolution concrete; in other words, let everyone know about your resolution. So, I'm going to take the first step and announce to you that my New Year's resolution is to strengthen relationships through better communication.

Step 2: The second step in keeping your resolution is to lay out a plan. Here are some bits and pieces of my plan:

• Use the current News & Views – revamp and strengthen this form of communication. Use this tool as a way for all members to be involved. I can't give out the secrets just yet as we are working very hard to put a fresh spin on the News & Views. We are hoping to make this more interactive with the social media sites as well, but we will need your help, so keep your eyes peeled for more information.
• Use the current Facebook and Twitter sites – we plan to post more information to these sites and make them more interactive. This will be one of the sites that you will frequently want to check in on. So, if you have not yet "Liked" VAGP on Facebook, please be sure that you take care of that post haste.
• Collaboration with other associations in and outside of Virginia – this is something that VAGP is already working on and hopes to bring to a larger reality this year. We need to keep the lines of communication open, as well as make new friends in other associations. We can all learn from one another.
• Increase Student Membership – we need to promote the procurement profession for the up and coming generation. The Membership Committee has already laid some groundwork and so now we have to put the finishing touches on the planning and then put it into action.

Step 3: Being held accountable is step number three. So, this is how you are part of my New Year's resolution. I need you to hold me accountable and here are just a few ways that you can take part in doing so. As your new President, I want you to know that I am always anxious to hear your ideas, as well as your constructive criticisms. You can always send me an email, pick up the phone and call me, or post something on Facebook saying "hey, give me an update" or "I haven't seen anything lately...is anyone home?" There are times that I may fail, but I do want to do as Stephen Covey says, "Begin with the end in mind." With all that being said, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2012!